Safety device for elevators



H. BLEYMEHL.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8. 1919.

1, 348,472. Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

.K ill.

H. BLEYMEHL.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. B. 1919.

1,348,472, Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BIJEYMEHII, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BLEYMEHL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicage, in the county of Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Elevators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to safety devices for elevators, and particularly to that class which relies during the too rapid descent, of the elevator, upon the increased friction of some of the parts against the elevator tracks. The object of my invention is to utilize the centrifugal force of a wheel which rotated by its engagement with a stationary rope as the elevator moves downward, and which, when it attains a speed greater than it acquires during the normal movement of the elevator, will move a wedge, that is housed in the shoes riding on the elevator tracks, against said tracks with siich force as to stop the elevator from further'downward movement and do this effectively and in such manner as to avoid a sudden stoppage that might injure or break the elevator, or the tracks upon which the same runs. This I accomplish by means hereinafter fully described and as particularly pointed out and illustrated in the claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front view of an elevator showing my improvement applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the inside of the centrifugal wheel.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the inside of its companion wheel.

Fig. 5 is an edge View of the centrifugal wheel.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 4. L

Fig. 7 is a vertical section of one of the shoes.

Referring to the. drawings A represents the platform of a freightelevator; B, B, represents the vertically disposed uprights arising'from the sides thereof, and C represents the upper cross-beams that connect -,theupper ends of said uprights. The sides .of the uprights B, B, next the walls of the elevator shaft are, preferably, channeled to engage the vertical parallel tracks E, E, on the. opposite, sides-pf the elevator shaft.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Application filed November 8, 1919. Serial No. 836,566.

The elevator is suspended by means of the usual cable D that passes around a pulley or drum F journaled in the ends of a sub stantially U-shaped strap or yoke, that is mounted in a frame H secured to the central portion of said cross-beam. The motor power mechanism for raising and lowering the elevator may be of any kind now in extensive use, and therefore is not illustrated in the drawings. It will be understood that the parts of the elevator may be as hereinbefore described, or of any other construction without affecting the application of the improvements constituting my invention.

As hereinbefore intimated my invention contemplates the stopping of the elevator by means of vertically disposed wedges that engage the sides of the track E. These wedges 10, 10, are, preferably, acute-triangular shaped cast metal wedges, the base and side which en ages the tracks being at right angles to eac other. The side of the wedge opposite the track constitutes the hypotenuse, and the track side thereof forms the gripping surface of the wedge. and is, preferably, serrated or provided with downwardly rejecting spurs. The hypotenuse side 0 the wedge is, at a point near the base thereof, provided with a vertically elongated socket 0r recess 12, and this recess 12, is adapted to be engaged by the adjacent outer end of an operating lever 13, and there is, preferably, one wedge for each'of the tracks.

These wedges are mounted in suitable vertically elongated boxes or shoes 14, that inclose three sides of the adjacent track, and are bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the upper surface of the ends of the cross-beams C, and each of these shoes, comprises a channeled metal casting, the

exterior of which, on one side of the tracks, corresponds to substantially the obverse of the shape of the wedge which latter is seated therein, and the side of the shoe in which the wedge is seated is provided with a vertically elongated slot to permlt the passage projecting therefrom. Preferably, near one end of the cross-beam, a concave or channeled pulley 18 is journaled on a stud-shaft projecting from the upper end of a standard 19, which latter arises from a baseplate secured in any suitable manner to the upper surface of the beam G. This channeled pulley is engaged by one bight of a vertically disposed rope or cable 20, the upper end of which latter is permanently secured to the top of the elevator shaft and the lower end of which is permanently attached to the lower end of the said shaft, thus as the elevator moves upward or downward the rope causes the channeled pulley to rotate. ()ne side of this pulley 20 has a circumferential flange 21, projecting laterally therefrom. which at points diametrically opposite each other is cut away to provide clearances 22, 22, in which the outer ends of the centrifugally actuated arms 23, 2 move.

The inner ends of these arms are provided with knuckles that are journaled on studs 24, 24, that project laterally from the web of the concavcd pulley at points within the perimeter of circumferential flange, 21, diametrically opposite each other. When the pulley revolves the centrifugal force causes the outer ends of said arms 23, to move out through said clearance 22, of'said flange, and in order to prevent this movement until the speed of the pulley is caused by a too rapid descent of the elevator, I have provided coil contraction springs 25, 25, one end of each of which is secured to said arms at suitable points between their ends, and to screws 26, 26, which latter pass through suitable apertures in lugs 27 27, projecting from the web of the pulley, substantially as shown. These screws are provided with nuts 28 and 29 on each side of the lug 27, and by properly manipulating said nuts the springs can be expanded or contracted so as to provide the proper resistance to the centrifugal movement of the arms 21, 21. The pulley 18 is loose on the stud projecting from the standard and a wheel 30 is loosely jIournaled on said stud along1 side of it.

his wheel has two segmental an es 31, 31, projecting therefrom the radius 0 which is greater than the outer circumference of the flange 21, projecting from the pulley and these segmental flan es are adapted to project toward the pu ey outside of the circumference of the flange 21. The side of the wheel opposite the pulley has a link 33, pivotally connected thereto near its outer circumference and the depending end of this link is pivotally connected to the end of an arm 35 projpcting from rock-shaft 15; thus, whenever t e descent of the elevator is so rapid that it causes the channeled pulley, through the medium of the cable 20, to revolve at a greater speed than when the elevator is descending at a normal rate of pulley when travel, the arms 21, 21, will move outward and engage the ends of the flanges of the Wheel, which latter through the medium of the link and arm 35, rocks shaft 15, and causes the operating levers 1.3, to raise the wedges so that they will grip the tracks and sto the further descent of the elevator.

hat I claim as new is:

1. The combination with an elevator, vertical guide-tracks for the same, a hoisting device therefor, shoes carried by said elevator, and means within said shoes that engage said tracks, of a stationary vertical rope, a pulley engaged by said rope, a transverse rock-shaft supported by the elevator, to which motion is imparted when said pulley revolves above a given speed, and arms projecting from said shaft that cause said means to clamp said track.

2. The combination with an elevator, vertical guide-tracks therefor, shoes carried by said elevator that engage said tracks, means housed by said shoes that are adapted to clamp said tracks, of a stationary vertically disposed rope, a pulley engaged by said rope, a wheel deriving motion from said said elevator descends too fast, a transverse rock-shaft, an arm projecting therefrom, a link connecting said wheel and arm, and mechanism that imparts the motion of said shaft to said means. a

3. The combination with an elevator, vertical guide-tracks therefor, shoes carried by said elevator that engage said tracks, wedges housed by said shoes that are adapted to clamp said tracks, of a stationary vertically disposed rope, a pulley engaged by said rope, a wheel deriving motion from said pulley when said elevator descends too fast, a transverse rock-shaft, an arm projectin therefrom, a link connecting said wheel an arm, and arms projecting fromsaid shaft that directly engage said wedges.

4. The combination with an elevator, vertical guide-track therefor, a shoe carried by said elevator that travels on said track, and means housed within said shoe that engages said track, of a stationary vertical rope, a pulley engaging said rope the bearings of which are supported b the elevator, a wheel actuated'by said pul ey when said elevator descends too rapidly, a transverse shaft deriving motion from said wheel, and an arm projecting from the shaft and engagin said means.

5. he combination with an elevator, vertical ids-tracks therefor, shoes carried by said e evator that travel on said tracks, and movable means housed within said shoes that engage said track, of a stationary var-i tical rope, a pulley engaging said rope whose bearings are supported b said elevator, a wheel the center of whic alines with the axis of said ulley and which is actuated by the same w en the elevator descends too rapidly, a centrifugally actuated arm, a link pivoted to said wheel, a transverse rockshaft, an arm projecting from the shaft, to the outer end of which said link is connected, and devices adapted to impart motion from the shaft to said means.

6. The combination with an elevator, vertical guide-tracks therefor, shoes carried by said elevator that travel on said tracks, and means housed within said shoes that engage said tracks, of a stationary vertical rope, a pulley engaging said rope the bearings of which are supported by said elevator, a centrifugally movable arm pivotally connected to the side of said pulley, a wheel actuated by said arm, when said elevator descends too rapidly, a transverse shaft deriving motion from said Wheel, and arms projecting from the shaft and engaging said means.

7. The combination with an elevator, vertical guide-tracks therefor, shoes carried by said elevator that travel on said tracks, and movable means housed within said shoes that engage said track, of a stationary vertical rope, a pulley engaging said rope the bearings of which are supported by said elevator, a centrifugally actuated adjustable arm pivoted to the side of said pulley, a wheel actuated by said centrifugal arm when said elevator descends too rapidly, a transverse shaft deriving motion from said wheel,

and arms projecting from the shaft and engaging said means.

8. The combination with an elevator, vertical guide-tracks therefor, shoes carried by said elevator that travel on said tracks, and means housed within said shoes that engage said track, of a stationary vertical rope, a pulley engaging said rope the bearings of which are supported by said elevator having a laterally projecting circumferential flange a segment of which is removed, a centrifugally actuated arm pivoted to the side of said pulley, the end of which will move through the removed portion of said flange when the elevator descends too rapidly, a wheel having segmental flanges projecting therefrom toward said pulley outside of the flanges of the latter which are engaged by said centrifugal arm, when said elevator descends too rapidly, a transverse shaft deriving motion from said wheel, and an arm projecting from the shaft and engaging said means.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of October, 1919.

HENRY BLEYMEHL.

Witnesses:

EVA STREI'I', VIOLET HARDELL, FRANK D. THoMsoN. 

